Method of packing chairs for shipment



Aug. 2o, 1940.

l.. w. woKvoslN METHOD 0F PACKING CHAIRS FOR SHIPMENT Filed Sept. 24, 1938 Jnaemo?" Zazfs W VVE/2061?@ Patented Aug. 20, 1940 2,212,310 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF PACKING CHAIRS FOR SHIPMENT Louis W. Wokosin, Oshkosh, Wis., assignor to Freeman Furniture Factories, Inc., Ill., a corporation of Illinois Chicago,

Application September 24, 1938, Serial No. 231,500

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to a novel and improved method for packing articles of furniture, and more particularly for packing chairs forshipping and storing purposes, whereby .the same Will-be more fully protected against damage or injury while in transit 0r in storage. Heretofore, chairs'have been packedfor shipping by individually covering as much of the chair as is possible by means of some suitable covering material,- such, f or example, as excelsior, straw,

or the like. This method of shipping was costly,

because of the cost of materials and labor involved, and at the same time, such method of shipping was not adequate protection for rough handling to which furniture is subject in transit.

Wrapping and packing the chairs individually also made it dilicult to pile or stack the same in any great number, or in any compact manner, due to the fact that .the backs and joints were subjected to undue stress when the chairs were piled upon their sides.

It is well known that chairs are built toreceive relatively great loadswhen standing upright, but

when individually wrapped, as has heretofore been done, the peculiar shape of the package resulting from such packing or wrapping, made it almost impossible to pack the chairs so that they remained in an uprightposition.

The main object of the invention is tol provide a novel and improved method of packing chairs for shipping and storage purposes, whereby the same will be capable of arrangement for neat and compactpiling, with the chairs in a substantially upright position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved method of packing chairs for storage orshipping, whereby, although a substantial portion of the bare` finish of the chairs packed is exposed,fit is nevertheless fully protected against scratching or marring of thesarne.

A further object of `this invention is 4to provide a novel and improved means for packing chairs for shipment or4 storage, said means including only a few simple parts, yreadily assembled in position around the chairs tobe packed with a minimum oflabor andai; a greatly reduced cost of materials. n

With the foregoing and other ob-jects in view, which will'appear as the description. proceeds, the invention consists'in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustratedy in the accompanyingV drawing, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size andminor details. of the structure may be made Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my inventio-n, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, a preferred embodiment thereof, from an. inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

v Referring to the drawing in which the same. characters of reference are employed to indicate correspondingor similar parts throughout the several. figures of the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a pair of chairs packed for shipping or storage by means of my new improved method;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the developed side of one of the elements employed with my method.

Referring to the drawing more specically by characters of reference, the reference characters A and B designate generally chairs of conventional construction, each comprising a seat l, a back rest 2, the legs 3, and the'brace structure 4. As the specic construction of the chair forms no basis of the present invention, it is not believed necessary to describe the same in more detail.

In employing my improved method for packing chairs, the same are packed in pairs or multiples of two and are arranged, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, with the chair A disposed in an upright `standing position, and the chair B arranged in an .inverted position and placed with yits seat against the seat of the chair A, said seat portions being spaced from each other and protected by some suitable strip of protective material I0, such, for example, as corrugated board or lthe like, interposed between the two' seats of said vchairs for the protection of the finishes of said seats.

When in this position, it will be noted that the forward portion of the seat of the chair B will be disposed adjacent the lower portion of the back rest 2 of the chair A, said portions being spaced from each other by means of a strip of protective material l I, so that it will be impossible for said portions to come in Contact with each other and thereby mar their nishes. Similarly, the forward portion of the seat of the chair A will be spaced by a strip of protective material, not shown, from the lower portion of the back rest 2 of the Chair B.

The chairs A and B are bound together in the above-described position by suitable wire elements l2 or some other means, which elements extend around the seats of said chairs securely fastening .said seats to each other, said wire elements or other binding means l2 being protectively held away from the side edges of the seat portions of said chairs by slabs or strips I3 of suitable protective material of paste board or corrugated board disposed around said edges, thereby preventing said binding elements from contacting said seat edges and cutting or marring the same.

The legs and back rests of the chairs A and B thus secured to each other are protected by suitable sheets of protective material, such as cardboard, corrugated board, or other similar material generally designated by the reference character I4, and one of which is shown developed in Fig, 2 of the drawing. Each of said sheets isof substantially rectangular formation and has its opposite edges folded and creased to produce the side flanges I5, which flanges are cut along their lengths at similarly placed opposite points, as shown at I6, II, I8 and I9, so that the said sheet may be folded along the transversely disposed creases 20, 2l, 22 and 23 to form the segments 24, 25, 26, 2 and 28 for a purpose to be presently more fully described.

In arranging the sheets Id around the chairs A and B the portion 26 is disposed against the back of one of the chairs, said portion 2B being of such a size as to completely cover the back of said chair, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to fully protect the upright or back rest 2 as well as the legs 3 thereof by partially encasing the same in the following manner.

As viewed in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the righthand sheet It will be disposed, so that the segment 2l together with its associated segment 28 will form a pocket for enclosing the freev ends of the rear legs 3 of the chair B with the sheet I4 secured thereto by means of the wire binding element 29, the fianges I5 protecting the legs of said chair from becoming scratched or marred by the binding element 29. The lower portion of said right-hand sheet is folded so as to receive the upper portion of the back rest 2 of the chair B, and the lower portion o-f the front legs of the chair A, there being a sort of a hood formed by the segments 25 and 25 in cooperation with the large segment 26. The sheet is secured in this folded position by means of the wire binding element 30. The flanges I5 in this case similarly protect the chairs from becoming marred or scratched by said wire element 30.

In a similar manner the left-hand sheet I4 is secured around the chairs A and B, but in this case the wider segment 25 is arranged on top so as to encase the upper portion of the back rest 2 of the chair A and the lower portions of the front legs of the chair B. The wire binding element 3I is employed for securing said sheet in its folded position around said chairs. The lower portion of the left-hand sheet is folded so as to encase the lower portions of the rear legs of the chair A and wire binding element 32 is employed for securing said lower portion of the sheet to the chair.

From the above, it will be noted that by reason ofthe strips II, as well as the tying means I2, movement of the chairs A and B relative to each other when once packed and assembled with 1 each other will be practically impossible, thereby preventing injury to the nish of said chairs, which ymay be due to frictional contact between the same were the same capable of movement relative to each other.

It will also be noted that although'the major portionl of the bare finish of the chairs is exposed the same is nevertheless adequately protected against injury as it is quite impossible for any portionv of the bare nish of one package to come in contact with the exposed surface of the next adjacent package.

It will also be noted that to complete satisfactory packing of the chairs requires only the sheets I4, which are of identical size and construction, which may be readily stacked in place in large quantities without occupying too great space. It will also be noted that only a few simple tying operations are required to complete the package, and when so completed, the chairs may be arranged in an upright position and in a compact manner.

It will also be noted that the means and method hereinabove described will readily lend itself to pack for shipping and storage purposes chairs in multiples of two by merely increasing thewidth of the sheet I4 to include the required number of pairs of chairs, and if desired, placing walls of protective material between each pair so packed.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its acl-' vantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without v further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A package for shipment of chairs, lcomprising means protectively binding a pair of chairs together with their seats facing each other and disposed one on top of the other, and a pair of sheets of relatively stiff protective material secured to said chairs, each of said sheets extending the full length of the package and including a hood for enclosing the upper portion o-f the back rest of one chair and the lower portions of the forward legs of the other chair, and ay second hood disposed at the other end thereof for enclosing the lower portions of the back legs of said rst chair, said hoods being formed integral with and bent from their respective sheets, said sheets having ilanges formed integral therewith and extending inwardly for protecting the uncovered sides of said package.

2. A package for shipment of chairs, comprising means protectively binding a pair of chairs together with their seats facing each other and disposed one on top of the other, and a pair of sheets Vof relatively stiff protective material secured to said chairs, each of said sheets extending the full length of the package and including a hood for enclosingthe upper portion of the back rest of one chair and thelower portions of the forward legs of the other chair, and a second hood disposed at the other endthereof for enclosing the lower portions of the back legs of said nrst chair, said hood being formed integral with and bent from their respectivek sheets, said sheets having flanges formed integral therewith and eX- tending inwardly for protecting the uncovered sides of said package, said inwardly extending flanges being maintained in afsubstantially perpendicular relationship to said sheets by said binding means.

LOUIS W. WOKOSJN. 

